


The First Color

by WroughtBetwixt



Series: Thallen Week 2015 [1]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bisexual Male Character, Developing Relationship, Episode: s01e01 Pilot, M/M, Male Slash, Soulmates, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-26
Updated: 2015-05-26
Packaged: 2018-04-01 07:17:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4010791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WroughtBetwixt/pseuds/WroughtBetwixt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a universe where you only see color upon meeting your soulmate, Barry Allen gets an unexpected surprise.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The First Color

**Author's Note:**

> An alternative version of the scene where Eddie is introduced in The Flash pilot episode, based off an idea spotted on tumblr. (If anyone knows who created that idea, send us a message so we can credit!) This is the first time writing for this pairing. :) Happy Thallen Week.

A soulmate was different things to different people. For many, it was a word that meant a romantic partner that one would spend the rest of their lives with, for better or for worse. For others, it could be a life-long best friend: a peer, a teacher, a parent, their child. There were even some cases where one’s soulmate was a pet. Romantic or not, sexual or not, it didn’t really seem to matter. All that mattered was that the being in question was destined to be important, and would be with you the rest of your life.  
  
For everyone, regardless of who they were destined to spend their lives with, it meant one thing: that everyone in the world was born without the ability to see color. Science had yet to explain it; religion had too many explanations. But the fact of the matter was that, until the moment that someone laid their eyes on another living being, one that was their soulmate, the world was a big ball of various shades of black, grey, and white. Only when they found their soulmate, did their world begin to bloom into color. It was beautiful, romantic, poetic.  
  
Barry Allen was convinced that it was some sort of chemical reaction in the brain. Or at least, he had been. He studied the phenomena in his spare time, trying to puzzle it out, but he came away baffled each time. This time was no different; there was now research cropping up that there were polyamorous relationships, where people involved would only gain one color at a time, until their group was complete. It didn’t seem very chemical, but c’mon, poetry was for artists... Barry was, if nothing else, a scientist. If it hadn’t been for literally thousands of years of evidence that it happened at all, he’d have chalked it up to wishful thinking.  
  
Kinda like the wishful thinking he had fostered for years, thinking that he could somehow change things with Iris. He’d been attracted to other people before, of course. This one girl in High School named Becky, whom Iris had despised. Sam, who had been in two of Barry’s college classes. Felicity Smoak and, because Barry’s life hadn’t been complicated enough, Oliver Queen. But it always came back to Iris, for whatever reason. Maybe it was because she felt safe, warm. Comforting. Who knew. But he kept wishing that one day, things would change; neither of them had really dated anyone seriously, and sometimes, it almost seemed like Iris was flirting. There were times she acted like she was jealous of people Barry got closer to, and it left Barry confused. Did they have a chance together, or not?  
  
There had been a couple of anecdotal cases where someone became soulmates with someone they already knew, even if they had previously not been... that was different than the usual on-sight fireworks that apparently happened. Barry had hoped beyond hope that maybe, maybe one of those times that they looked at each other, the world would explode into color. He’d hoped that tonight had been the night to tell her how he felt, even if they weren’t soulmates. People still happily dated and lived their lives with others, after all; not all soulmates were romantic or sexually involved. There was a chance, if he could just say something, that maybe she had feelings for him in return. But he couldn’t get the words out, and then there was the mugger... And now Barry was sitting in the police station with a wad of kleenex stuffed against his nose, grey blood leaking out into a grey world. Some hero he was.  
  
Whatever. It was hopeless.  
  
“Who is that guy, and what is he so proud of?” Iris asked with a scowl as she brought Barry an ice pack for his face. She was staring at the cop that had gotten her bag back, looking like she was offended by his mere presence. “So he caught a mugger.”  
  
Barry lowered the kleenex to look over in the direction she was glaring. The man was tall, well-dressed, pale grey skin with paler grey hair. Youthful, cocky, the usual swaggery new-cop thing. Seemed to be the sort that was quick to laugh. He’d never gotten a really good look at the guy, since he was on the streets while Barry was usually in the lab, but Barry heard enough about him. None of it bad, objectively, but some of the old-timers were being petty. “He’s a transfer from Keystone... Started a few weeks ago.” He smiled a little bit, though with the pain, it looked more like a grimace. “Eddie Thawne.”  
  
“Ohh...” Iris looked the cop up-and-down. “ _That’s_ Detective Prettyboy.” She paused, putting on an innocent face when Barry looked at her with furrowed eyebrows. “That’s what my dad calls him,” she added, rolling her eyes a bit. “Says he actually keeps score when it comes to arrests.”   
  
He’d heard the stories. After all, he worked in the same office. It was hard to avoid the latest gossip, and Thawne definitely had some people gossiping. Even Joe, from the looks of it. Barry bit back a grumpy reply; it wasn’t Iris’ fault that he had a crush he couldn’t shake, or that he’d gotten hit in the face. And she didn’t work with law enforcement, so it’s not like she’d necessarily understand younger cops, and their tendency to try too hard to make a name and reputation for themselves. He could understand the idea, maybe. Hell, at this point, Barry felt like he could even sympathize. Who didn’t want to be noticed? Maybe the guy had something he was trying to prove to someone, too.  
  
But then Iris’ voice broke through his train of thought, her tone too casual. “He _is_ pretty, though.”  
  
Barry rolled his eyes this time, but he looked back to the detective, feeling his mood blacken even worse. Thawne was talking to another officer, standing still for once. It gave Barry a minute to look him over, and he couldn't deny it, the rumors were true. Thawne was pretty. He was lithe, with a square, masculine jaw, a hint of stubble... And yes, those lips were, Barry admitted begrudgingly, very kissable. Barry spared a glance at Thawne’s eyes, wondering absentmindedly what color they’d be. It was then that Thawne seemed to notice Barry watching him. Their gazes connected, and Barry blinked.  
  
Thawne’s lips parted slightly in a silent intake of breath, and Barry felt his heart slam as the world suddenly began to fill in. Iris was saying something he couldn’t hear. Someone was asking Thawne if he was okay-- he was pale, was something wrong?-- and it was all too much at once. Barry excused himself, standing up and fleeing out the door. He raced towards home, his entire body thrumming as everything sharpened around him, clear and bright and oh god, oh god, oh god...  
  
He ducked into his apartment and locked the door behind him, dropping his things and pacing the floor. His head was pounding, but after a moment he stopped, taking a deep breath; he turned on his television set, giving himself something to listen to besides his own racing thoughts. With trembling hands, and feeling like a child, Barry picked up a little book off his shelf that he thought he’d never be using. He sat on the floor of his apartment and leafed through it, taking in everything until his mind was numb. Setting the book of colors down, Barry stood at his desk, staring out the window at the pouring rain.   
  
Blue. The first color he’d ever seen was blue.  
  
There were only a few minutes to take that in, to process, before lightning-- red and gold, beautiful, burning-- smashed through the windows and lodged in his chest.


End file.
